Around the open plaza, several people were sitting in pavilions. Some were smoking, some were playing poker, and others were fiddling with weapons in their hands.
These people watched as Bai Wanyang, holding an umbrella, walked over with Yue Shi, but they only stared and made no other move.
“This plaza seems to be a boundary line. The area outside is the fringe, where no one cares about strangers coming and going. But going further in might be a problem. Are we really just going to walk in like this?” Bai Wanyang asked hesitantly.
“What else would we do?” Yue Shi asked back.
Bai Wanyang looked at the people sitting in the pavilions around the plaza and said, “Those guys have been staring at us. If we go in, they might try to interrogate us. They won't necessarily let us through easily.”
Yue Shi waved a hand dismissively. “Don't worry, just watch me.”
The rain poured down as thunder rolled. The two of them advanced slowly under the umbrella.
The guards stationed at the plaza immediately noticed their movement. One of them blew a whistle, and everyone rushed out with umbrellas, surrounding Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang.
They held knives and clubs, led by a tall, muscular man holding a gun. He questioned them coldly, “Who are you? What is your purpose in coming to Peace Alley?”
“Please let us in,” Yue Shi said from under the umbrella. His voice was ethereal and misty, carrying a strange, magical quality.
Peace Alley wasn't closed off; it frequently interacted with the outside world. Normally, an outsider wanting to enter Peace Alley would need to disclose their identity and state which faction they represented.
If another gang or group sent someone to discuss business or cooperation, they would be welcomed as guests.
But if someone came alone, they would likely be stripped of everything and relegated to the lowest level of Peace Alley, having their very marrow sucked dry and every bit of value squeezed out until they died.
Yue Shi had asked to enter right away without saying anything else, which was nothing short of a provocation. Beside him, Bai Wanyang broke into a cold sweat over his partner's apparent lack of social awareness.
However, the muscular man blocking their path suddenly looked dazed and made a welcoming gesture. “Certainly. Please come in, both of you.”
With that, the group immediately stepped aside to make a path.
Yue Shi led Bai Wanyang forward, walking leisurely.
“Wait, what...”
Bai Wanyang was completely stunned, looking back repeatedly. “What did you do to them? Why did they suddenly turn into idiots and let us through so easily?”
Yue Shi tilted his chin up slightly and smiled. “It was all thanks to my transcendent charisma.”
Bai Wanyang's lip twitched, left utterly speechless.
The two of them crossed the open plaza and entered the core area of Peace Alley.
This place had once been a small town with a population of over ten thousand. Now, only a few thousand lived here, so there were many vacant, abandoned houses.
Perhaps due to the weather, there was no one on the streets.
With his vision obscured by the heavy rain and thick fog, the ravens Yue Shi had sent out lost track of Bai Qingyu.
“The Investigation Bureau found that the Queen Bee's nest is likely located in Peace Alley, but what do we do next? There isn't a soul on the street. How are we supposed to find the Bee Woman's whereabouts?” Bai Wanyang asked.
Bee Women looked almost identical. If they encountered a passerby, Yue Shi could use his transcendent charisma to ask around, but they couldn't see a single person on the road.
Were they supposed to go and ask the local residents in their homes?
On a day with such heavy rain, the locals wouldn't necessarily be willing to tell the truth to strangers from the outside.
“Should we go back and ask that group from before?” Bai Wanyang turned and pointed toward the open plaza.
“No need. We can just ask anyone. With a face like a Bee Woman's, anyone in a chaotic place like this who has seen her will definitely have a deep impression,” Yue Shi said.
As soon as he finished speaking, before Bai Wanyang could argue, Yue Shi led him into a building and knocked on a door.
“Anyone in? Squeak if you are.”
“There's no one here!” an exasperated voice shouted from inside the room, followed by a long silence. The occupant seemed unable to fathom why they had even responded.
Beside him, Bai Wanyang also couldn't fathom what kind of brain-dead conversation this was.
“Open the door. I have something to ask you.”
As soon as Yue Shi said this, the sound of footsteps immediately echoed from inside the room.
Creak—
The door was opened by a fierce-looking middle-aged man. His face was grim, and his entire being radiated resistance, yet he obediently opened the door and stood there submissively. The sense of contradiction was overwhelming.
“Have you seen a beautiful woman who looks like this?”
Yue Shi held up his phone and pulled up a photo of a Bee Woman from his gallery.
“I have. Go two streets east. There's a milk tea shop there. The owner and the waitress are both that beautiful,” the middle-aged man answered.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Yue Shi left satisfied.
Bai Wanyang looked hesitant. “Isn't your luck a bit too good? You just asked a random person and got a key lead?”
Yue Shi explained, “For people living in the Chaos Zone, hunger and cold are the norm. A place like Peace Alley, controlled by gangs, wouldn't be much better.”
“But the room that man lived in was not only spacious but also clean and tidy. He himself was dressed decently. This indicates he likely holds a high social status locally, which means he knows more useful information.”
“You're just giving me nonsense answers!” Bai Wanyang complained loudly. “What I want to know is why those strangers are so willing to obey you?”
“I told you, it's because of my boundless charm,” Yue Shi replied dismissively.
Bai Wanyang curled his lip. “Do you really think I'll believe such a flimsy reason?”
“Fine.” Yue Shi's attitude became a tiny bit more serious. “Actually, it's my little secret. You know how it is~”
“Playing a pig to eat a tiger?” The phrase immediately flashed through Bai Wanyang's mind.
“If you want to think of it that way, sure,” Yue Shi said.
Perhaps because Yue Shi's attitude was so frank, Bai Wanyang felt a bit awkward instead. Pressing someone for their secrets was indeed quite rude.
However, his curiosity only grew stronger. “Since it's a secret, why did you expose it in front of me without trying to hide it at all? If you were more cautious, you should have been able to hide it from me.”
“Hmm... maybe because you're trustworthy?” Yue Shi lowered his eyes, his voice gentle. “When I first met you, I felt you were a good person. Subconsciously, I didn't feel the need to be on guard against you.”
“Haha... you're not cut out for the sentimental stuff, it's way too greasy. Haha...” Bai Wanyang scratched the back of his head. Though his words sounded like a complaint, he had become flustered, and the corners of his mouth were uncontrollably curling upward. His good mood was plain to see.
Yue Shi smiled knowingly. Kids this age were really too easy to handle.
He didn't mind showing off a few more of his abilities. While playing a pig to eat a tiger could have unexpected effects, it wasn't good to actually be treated like a pig by everyone; he should flex his muscles occasionally.
The Bee Woman was suspected of colluding with the Holy Mother, Bai Qingyu. The difficulty of this mission wasn't low. When dealing with these supernatural beings, as long as his key ability, invisibility, wasn't exposed, nothing else mattered.
In any case, he would have even more in the future. His trump cards would always be endless...
Rate on N.U.
